TALE OF TWO CARRIERS

PART II

On July 29, 1967, an electrical power surge on an F-4B Phantom

jet fighter, caused a “Zuni” rocket to accidentally fire across the

deck of the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal. The resulting fire and

explosions killed 134 sailors and injured 161. The heroic efforts

by a well-trained, disciplined crew saved the carrier from going

down. Not since WWII had a US carrier survived such an event

without sinking. The WWII carrier that refuse to go down was

the USS Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin, nicknamed

“Big Ben” by her crew. This is her story.

One of 24 Essex-class carriers launched during WWII, ‘Big Ben’

was commissioned on January 31, 1944. After her shakedown

cruise, she headed for Eniwetok Island in the western Pacific to

join Task Group 58.2 and serve as the flagship for Rear Admiral

Ralph Davison for most of her time at sea. She sortied aircraft in

late June for strikes on the Bonin Islands, destroying enemy

aircraft on the ground and in the air, the airfield, gun positions,

and cargo ships.

For the next two and a half month, ‘Big Ben’ repeated the same

type of sorties targeting Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, Rota

Island, and Guam. She lent direct support to American invasion

forces and continued to build on her combat accomplishments.

From August 9 to 28, she underwent repair and upkeep while her

crew received a well-earned period of recreation.

She then departed for neutralization and diversionary attacks

against the Bonin Islands alongside her sister carriers Belleau

Wood, Enterprise, and San Jacinto. Torpedo pilot and future

President George H. W. Bush was aboard the San Jacinto. He

would be shot down on September 2, 1944 during a bombing run

on Chichi Jima. Rescued by an American submarine, Bush was

the only survivor of his 3-man crew.

On September 14, ‘Big Ben’ made a ‘fighter sweep’ of Aparri,

Luzon then steamed east to support the Leyte invasion forces.

On September 15, she was attacked by three enemy aircraft, one

of which scored a bomb hit on one of her elevators. Three men

were killed and 32 wounded.

Steaming on to Formosa, ‘Big Ben’ participated in battles from

October 12-16 to neutralized Japanese airbases in preparation

for the upcoming invasions of the Philippines, Okinawa, and

Japan’s home islands. A Japanese Betty bomber penetrated Task

Force defensive measures but was shot down. The pilot,

knowing his plane and crew were destined for certain death,

converted his doomed bomber into a kamikaze and headed

straight for ‘Big Ben.’ The suicidal Betty did some damage to the

flight deck but luckily, for the Americans, slipped off the

starboard side of the ship without inflicting major damage or

casualties. ‘Big Ben’ moved on to support the invasion of the

Philippines. On October 19, 1944, her planes hit Manila Bay,

shooting down 11 Japanese planes, sunk and/or damaged

several ships, and destroyed a floating drydock.

On October 24 during the

Battle of Sibuyan Sea, planes

from ‘Big Ben’ assisted in the

sinking of Japanese warships

Musashi, Wakaba, and heavily

damaged the Fuso and

Yamashiro. Then the word

came down: a big Japanese

carrier force was bearing

down on the American landing

craft at Luzon. ‘Big Ben’ joined

several carrier task forces and

headed to intercept the enemy fleet at dawn. The admiral in

REPORTING FOR WORK

charge, William ‘Bull’ Halsey, did not communicate his intentions

and sailed to intercept putting the invasion forces in danger. The

attacking Japanese carrier force was a trick, a stunt that worked

by drawing the carrier cover screen from American assault

troops. Luckily, a small escort carrier group and brave destroyer

crews stopped the other Japanese fleet sailing to destroy the

invasion forces.

After refueling, ‘Big Ben’ returned to action on October 27, her

planes damaging a Japanese heavy cruiser and two destroyers.

But on October 30, enemy planes appeared bent on kamikaze

and glory. American fighters shot down most of the attackers,

but six kamikaze’s broke

through and headed for the

American task force of four

carriers. The carriers and

their twenty escort cruisers

and destroyers let loose a

hail of anti-aircraft fire that

downed three of the six

attacking aircraft. But one

kamikaze survived the steel

curtain of anti-aircraft fire and crashed into ‘Big Ben’s’ flight

deck. The plane and debris penetrated into the gallery deck

below, killing 56 men and wounding another 60. The last two

kamikaze’s pressed their attack. One fell to American gunners,

but the surviving enemy plane dropped two bombs that

narrowly missed ‘Big Ben’ before crashing into the stern of

Belleau Wood.

The crew of ‘Big Ben’ had the fires under control in a little over

one hour. She and Belleau Wood sailed to Ulithi Atoll for quick

repairs, temporary only. ‘Big Ben’ then returned stateside to the

Puget Sound Navy Yard, arriving on November 28, 1944 for

major refurbishing. Her commanding officer, Captain James M.

Shoemaker, was relieved of duty and replaced by Captain Leslie

E. Gehres. A strict authoritarian, the new commanding officer’s

dictatorial behavior was unpopular with ‘Big Ben’s’ crew.

By mid-March 1945, ‘Big Ben’ was back in action supporting the

invasion of Okinawa. On March 19, a lone enemy dive bomber

weaved in and out of cloud cover waiting for the opportunity to

inflict the most damage. As ‘Big Ben’ launched a second wave of

BIG BEN’S GUNS ON FIRE

aircraft against Okinawa, the Japanese dive bomber pierced the

cloud cover and headed straight for ‘Big Ben.’ The enemy plane

dropped two 500 lb. armor-piercing bombs before the carriers’

anti-aircraft units had time to respond.

The ensuing carnage mimicked Dante’s Inferno. One bomb hit

the carrier dead-center and penetrated through the second and

third deck, knocking out the combat Information Center and air

plotting. The second bomb struck aft (rear of a ship) and tore

through two decks. Topside, 31 armed and fueled Navy aircraft

were warming up for takeoff. These planes immediately caught

fire. Loaded with roughly 15 tons of high explosives, the bombs

and rockets aboard these aircraft detonated one by one, akin

to falling and flaming dominos. Vought F4U Corsairs were

loaded with “Tiny Tim” air to surface missiles. Due to the well-

known nose-up configuration of a Corsair, most of “Tiny Tim”

rockets thankfully flew overboard when their engines fired.

Below, in the hanger deck, 21 aircraft were fueled, five of which

were armed. The forward fuel system had been secured, but the

aft fuel system was open and still in use. The penetrating 500 lb.

bomb ignited the armed aircraft which was followed by a

devastating gasoline vapor explosion. Unlike the “Tiny Tim”

rockets on the flight deck, the “Tiny Tim’s” below deck had no

place to go. They ricocheted around the enclosed hangar deck

until their 500 lb. warheads detonated. Only two hangar-deck

crewmembers survived the inferno.

The engineering spaces were quickly evacuated as dense black

smoke filled the area. ‘Big Ben’ was soon dead in the water as

raging fires virtually boiled the carrier. Radio communications

were naught. Captain Gehres order the magazines flooded to

save the ship, but all the water mains had been destroyed. A

gathering of ships sought to save the remaining crew. Cruisers

Pittsburgh and Santa Fe with destroyers Miller, Hickox, Hunt, and

Marshall left the task force to assist ‘Big Ben.’ A flaming wreck,

suggestions were made to Captain Gehres to abandon ship. He

refused, knowing many sailors were still alive below deck.

Other destroyers fell in astern of ‘Big Ben’ to rescue men who

had jumped or been blown overboard. Other destroyers put

their bows against the side of ‘Big Ben’ to allow trapped men a

bridge to relative safety. Albeit, hundreds of enlisted men and

their officers remained aboard the flaming carrier and actually

saved ‘Big Ben’ from sinking.

Chaplain O’Callahan administering last rites

One of the carrier’s surgeons, LCDR George W. Fox, MD, lost his

life while tending to wounded crewmembers. He was awarded

the Navy Cross posthumously. The carrier’s Catholic chaplain,

Lt. Commander Joseph T. O’Callahan, administered last rites to

dying sailors plus organized fire-fighting and rescue crews to go

below deck to fight the fires and save souls. Catholic chaplain

O’Callahan was awarded the Medal of Honor. Another Medal

of Honor recipient, Lt Junior Grade Donald A. Gary, discovered

300 men trapped in the mess (chow hall) compartment and led

them by groups to safety. He then organized a fire-fighting unit

to fight the hangar deck fires and eventually entered Number 3

fireroom and obtained steam on one boiler.

The list of heroes and their courageous actions are too long to

mention, but by the end of day 21 additional Navy Crosses and

26 Silver Stars were earned by very brave men. Among these

were Navy Crosses to the commanders of the cruiser Santa Fe

AWAITING RESCUE

and destroyer Miller. A Navy Cross went to Lt. Fred R. Harris, a

‘Big Ben’ flight deck officer and member of Texas Legislature

before and after the war. A Silver Star was earned by the other

ship’s chaplain, Lt. Grimes W. Gatlin, a Methodist minister.

‘Big Ben’s’ survival was still in question. She had a heavy list, an

inferno still rage; men kept fighting, kept dying, kept the carrier

afloat. The cruiser Pittsburgh towed ‘Big Ben’ for the remaining

daylight hours. Unbelievably, within six hours the heroic effort

of fire-fighters gave ‘Big Ben’ a new lease on life. Men returned

to the ship, got her underway, and she sailed on her own with

only two of the four propellers driving her scorched hull.

After receiving emergency repairs at Ulithi Atoll, ‘Big Ben’ sailed

to Pearl Harbor for temporary repairs before returning to home

for major repair at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As a side note: At

Pearl Harbor a civilian harbor pilot, per set procedures, would

come aboard carriers to help navigate the large vessels to the

dock. Captain Gehres refused the assistance, stating he would

‘take her in’ himself. He maneuvered ‘Big Ben’ into the dock area

too fast and crashed into the assigned dock. He blamed mooring

details for the accident.

‘Big Ben’ was eventually restored to good condition and was

available for post-war service. She never sailed again. In the

end, the carrier that suffered the most damage and highest

casualty rate of any carrier to survive WWII was sold for scrap to

the Portsmouth Salvage Company on July 27, 1966. Sailing on

her last voyage, were the ghosts of 807 sailors. During the

inferno, approximately 500 sailors were wounded.

SOME OF THE BATTLE DAMAGE

In Part One of ‘Tale of Two Carriers’ I mention the unofficial

motto of the US Navy, “Non Sibi Sed Patriae” – ‘Not for self, but

for country.’ The US Navy’s official motto, “Semper Fortis” –

‘Always Courageous’, certainly applies to the courageous men of

‘Big Ben’ – the USS Franklin.

“I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who

may be asked in this century what he did to make his life

worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and

satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.’”

- President John Kennedy and WWII skipper of PT-109 -